“In politics the middle way is none at all.” – John Adams
With the overarching premise that the “New Direction” will consist of the combination of: 1) Limited Federal Government, and 2) the Tax burden of that limited government placed squarely on the shoulders of our wealthiest, here is a summary collection of ideas for New Deal 3. Would love to hear yours…
“Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another. But by all means, try something.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Government Welfare: All current federal cash/voucher/aid programs eliminated in 3 years. Aid will be left to the States, community centers, and charities to determine and administer, and all future federal “aid” to individuals will be provided via health and education savings accounts. The Federal government will be restricted to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. “Life” will be read to mean Health Savings Accounts for every citizen, “Liberty” will be read to mean Safety, Security, and Freedom for any adult to act in a manner that does not hurt their neighbor, and “Pursuit of Happiness” will be read to mean an opportunity to receive the training and education necessary to be gainfully employed. Federal taxes will only be used to provide citizens the path to prosperity. Charitable aid will be left to communities, non-profits, and lower governments to administer as they see fit.
“A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.” – Thomas Jefferson
Taxes: New tax system implemented to balance the budget. As federal welfare is stepped down to elimination, simple flat tax system will replace current system, and luxury taxes on our wealthy to balance the budget. This will include elimination of corporate and individual tax write offs, a rise in luxury taxes, a continuation of inheritance taxes, taxing capital gains, dividends, and all income at the same rate, and any other historically effective tax method to target our wealthiest to fund our limited government.
“Here is my principle: Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment: A “balanced budget” Constitutional Amendment will be proposed directly to States to set the default requirement of Congress to “balanced.” The amendment will have a provision to allow Congress to override this requirement in the event of a super-majority decision to issue national debt.
“It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.” – Thomas Jefferson
Healthcare: Heath Savings Accounts (HSAs) funded and regulated by the federal government will be provided to every American Citizen in equal amounts. This will replace the nearly $900,000,000,000 we currently spend on Government Healthcare programs – Medicare, Medicaid, S-Chip, and other government healthcare benefits are replaced with a universal solution with the power in the consumer’s hands. Although there will be NO gates to “qualify” for an HSA, any citizen wishing to access their HSA funds must use funds as dictated by government regulation. Healthcare will be administered by the private sector. With this new system, corporations will no longer be required to provide health insurance for their American employees. Additionally, as every American citizen is issued an HSA, no health provider will be required by law to provide healthcare to someone who cannot afford it. Rather than law and regulation, we will rely upon our Health Savings Accounts to pay our health bills, with local charities and the Hippocratic oath providing health services to those people in America who are not citizens or to any who are destitute, whose HSA funds are depleted, and whose catastrophic insurance does not cover all of their medical bills.
“I believe that every human mind feels pleasure in doing good to another.” – Thomas Jefferson
Education: Education Savings Accounts (ESA), funded and regulated by the federal government, will be provided to every school-aged American Citizen in an amount as determined by cost of living studies. Schools will no longer be funded directly by the government. Instead, government will fund the children themselves, all schools will compete for students, and guardians will determine what school their child will attend. Although government may provide recommendations, default systems, etc. to guardians, education will be privately administered. Government funding for college grants and higher education for excelling children will be increased to promote further learning opportunities for our future leaders.
“Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.” – Lyndon B. Johnson
Social Security/Government Retirements: Federal government will print funds as determined in court proceedings to pay out Social Security program contributors and all federal employees on a defined federal benefit retirement plan. Going forward, people will receive retirement funds under a balanced federal budget, not an IOU from a bankrupt government with the indebtor being our children. Payouts will be placed into a privately held retirement fund owned by the citizen. Financial institutions wishing to hold these retirement funds will be heavily regulated by government to provide a necessary “check” to balance the private system. It will be government’s job to, best it can, create a low risk environment in the private sector in which the citizen can store his retirement funds. All future federal employee retirement plans, including all government positions, will be of 401k style. As in an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), retirement accounts will be privately administered and government regulated.
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” – Thomas Jefferson
Military: US will dramatically downsize military in effort to foster peace, promote joint responsibility in the world arena, and balance its own budget.
“If there is one principle more deeply rooted in the mind of every American, it is that we should have nothing to do with conquest.” – Thomas Jefferson
Currency: US dollars will once again be backed by a universal measure of value. For the US to remain the world currency, it must issue a world dollar. A mixed natural resource standard (ie. Gold / Oil / Aluminum / Silver / Natural Gas / Coal / Minerals, Fresh Water, etc.) will back a world currency and accumulation of appropriate resources will constitute the ability of a nation to issue a “dollar,” backed by the precious metal, resource, or mineral on hand. Although the preference is for a world-agreed upon standard for the currency, the US will create one in absence of a consensus. A Standardized currency is needed to provide a world solution to our currency wars, and set the stage for a peaceful era of world trade and cooperation.
Trade Imbalance: US will initiate “Import Credit” system to foster not only a free trade system, but a fair trade system that reduces the trade imbalance. Nations attempting to export more than they import will be required to purchase import credits on the free market exchange.
Social Issues: Federal Government will remove itself from trying to define the “right” answer for social issues. So long as a person does not hurt their neighbor, it will be between them and God to judge whether their actions are appropriate.
“I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion.” – Thomas Jefferson
Immigration: Companies knowingly hiring illegal immigrants will be subject to fine, but the elimination of welfare, coupled with the appropriation of Health and Education Savings accounts to only American citizens, should reduce the excessive tax burden illegal immigration places on our system. Legal immigration should be made easier and illegal immigration made more difficult.
“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt